bend (and you won't break)
by AtLoLevad
Summary: As a way of helping Bucky relax and become more comfortable in his new life, he joins Bruce in daily yoga sessions. Slowly, but surely it becomes a way for the whole team to bond. A little present for Kavileighanna
1. Bruce and Bucky

Bucky was beating the ever-living shit out of a punching bag when Bruce found him. Bruce watched quietly as Bucky's fists pounded the state-of-the-art bag Tony had put into the gym. The inventor had even used extra bracing to make sure Steve couldn't punch it right off the ceiling.

But now, Bruce noted, the bag was squeaking ominously and, he squinted, yep, one of the screws was dangerously loose.

Bucky got in two more punches before Bruce gently cleared his throat.

Bucky stopped immediately and dropped into a defensive stance, his eyes darting all over the room. Bruce shot him a small smile and Bucky relaxed (marginally).

"Sorry," Bucky said, slightly sheepish, falling back into a regular stance, "I just get-"

Bruce waved him off, "I understand. Don't apologize for your natural instinct."

Bucky rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, wincing when the cold metal touched sweaty flesh. He shoved his hand into the pocket of his sweats, "Am I late for a team whatever?"

Bucky's tone tried for nonchalant, but Bruce could practically hear the nervous energy vibrating off of him. Bucky wanted so desperately to be normal, to not feel like an outsider. Something he shared with Bruce.

"You're not late for anything," Bruce reassured. He paused, considering his words carefully, "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time in here. Punching that bag."

Bucky shrugged, "It makes me feel...not better, but in control of something, I guess."

Bruce was nodding before Bucky could even finish his sentence, "I understand. But, I might have a better solution to channel your anxiety."

Bucky didn't say anything, but he perked up slightly. The way his eyebrows raised told Bruce that the other man was at least vaguely interested in what he had to say.

"What do you say about joining me during my yoga sessions?" Bruce asked, subconsciously putting his hands out in a non-threatening manner.

"Okay," Bucky said after a minute of thought.

"Okay?" Bruce repeated; he had been expecting a much bigger argument. Steve had expressed worry that Bucky was shutting himself off.

Bucky nodded, "Can't hurt, right?"

Slowly, Bucky offered up a very tiny smile, anxiety clearly present in his eyes and in the tight set of his jaw.

Bruce smiled back, "No, it can't hurt."

* * *

As it happened, Tony needed Bruce immediately for a minor incident in the lab, so Bucky ended up meeting Bruce the next morning for his first yoga session.

"Morning," Bruce said quietly, as Bucky found him by the giant glass windows.

Bucky nodded, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his sweats.

"Why near the window?" He asked, tilting his chin towards the glass.

Bruce laid out his yoga mat, a calming shade of light blue, "I like to see the movement of the city. I find it calming. We can face away from them if you want."

Bucky paused and leaned forward a little to look out the window. They were high enough up that all the cars speeding by looked like matchboxes. He could see Bruce's point about how it could be calming. The constant motion worked to hypnotize Bucky, letting him focus on something and nothing at the same time.

"We can face them," Bucky said, "I see your point."

Bruce smiled to himself; Bucky's stance had already shifted to something more relaxed. The former soldier's body was still stiff, but less so than it had been.

Bruce was already barefoot, so he stepped onto his yoga mat. He gestured to the matching foam rectangle, "Go ahead."

Bucky toed off his sneakers and left them in a heap next to the mat. He rubbed his flesh fingers together, a nervous tick Bruce had picked up on weeks ago (he had asked Steve about it. The blond man had sighed and said that was new.).

Bucky stepped onto the mat and wiggled his toes against it.

"We'll start slow," Bruce said serenely. He adjusted his feet to be shoulder width apart and bent at the waist.

He twisted his neck and looked up at Bucky. With an encouraging smile, he said, "Just follow what I'm doing and if you need an explanation, stop me."

Bucky nodded and planted his feet shoulder width apart.

Bruce let his head hang again, "We're just going to start with some warm up stretches."

He let his hands dangle to the ground, fingertips just touching the floor.

Bucky mimicked the pose, feeling the burn in his calves. As Bruce bent lower and had his palms rest on the floor, so did Bucky.

The burning in his calves intensified, but as he stretched more, it subsided.

Bruce folded his legs and sat on the mat. Bucky followed, slightly less gracefully.

Bucky grunted slightly on impact and Bruce smiled slightly to himself.

"How you holding up?" He asked, leaning forward to grab the bottoms of his feet and pressing his nose to his knees.

"Fine," Bucky grunted, getting his own nose within three inches of touching his knees.

"How do you do this so well?" He asked a minute or so later, peeking over at Bruce.

Bruce exhaled a breath slowly, "Practice."

Bucky nodded and followed along as Bruce shifted into a position he called 'downward dog'.

"Oh, this is great!" A laugh came from the entrance to the gym.

From his upside down vantage point, Bucky saw Tony grinning like a fool with his phone out.

"Darcy was looking for a new picture to be the header for her Superhero newsletter," Tony crowed, "I'm sending this off ASAP."

Bucky jumped up and started for Tony, an angry scowl on his face. He hated being laughed at.

Bruce darted on surprisingly nimble feet for Bucky, grabbing at his flesh arm just before he could reach Tony.

"Calm down, Bucky," he said, keeping a firm grip on the formerly brainwashed man's arm. A small, nasty voice in the back of his mind laughed at how ironic it was that _Bruce Banner_ was telling someone else to _relax_.

Tony, for his part, had wisely stepped back, putting some more space in between himself and Bucky.

"Hey, calm down, Robocop," Tony said, holding his hands up in the universal sign for surrender, "I won't send Darcy the picture. I didn't think it was a big deal."

Bucky wrenched his arm from Bruce's grasp. He growled, "I'm done," and stalked off.

Bruce sighed and shook his head, "Thanks, Tony."

"Why's he so bent out of shape?" Thing shrugged, "I didn't stick his arm in a bucket of water or anything."

Bruce just shook his head, "Tony, you don't get it. Bucky needs something to help him feel like he belongs. This set him back."

He sighed again and headed out of the gym, leaving Tony with his thoughts and his cell phone.

* * *

 **A/N: This is the product of a lot of email flailing with Kavileighanna. I LOVE writing this one, it's lot of fun and something different for me. Each chapter will be a different Avenger joining Bruce and Bucky in yoga.**

 **Drop me a review and let me know what you think! :D**


	2. Thor

True to his word, Tony never sent the picture the Darcy. But, somehow, the young assistant heard about Bruce and Bucky's yoga session, leading to a full-page joke ad in the next issue of her weekly newsletter.

'Sunrise yoga with our own Yogi, Bruce. Get your Brokeback Mountain on without having to deal with smelly horses' was printed in big letters over a graphic of a sunrise.

Bruce groaned when he saw it. Bucky was definitely never going to come back now.

He startled when there was a knock on the lab door. Bruce took a few deep breaths to contain the other guy and then called out, "Come in."

Bucky poked his head around the door, "Hi."

Bruce nodded, "Hi, Bucky. How're you doing?"

He shrugged, "Okay. Steve showed me the microwave. And the fire extinguisher."

Bruce smothered a laugh, and even Bucky cracked a small smile.

"And how'd you do with Steve gone last week?" Bruce leaned forward on his elbows, discarding Darcy's newsletter.

"Better than I thought I would," Bucky admitted, and then a beat later, "I thought you were my yoga partner, not my shrink."

Masterfully hiding his surprise, Bruce stood up from his desk; "We can head to the gym now, if you want?"

Bucky nodded, "It's not sunrise, but I guess it'll have to make do."

Bucky spoke so dryly it took Bruce a minute to realize he was making a joke.

When it clicked, Bruce laughed, "Comedians, all of you."

* * *

Bruce spent the short walk to the gym answering as many of Bucky's pop culture related questions as he could. It was nice to see Bucky making an effort to assimilate to his new century. And Bruce was in full support of him.

The two men were in the middle of a Harry Potter discussion (one of the few movies that Bucky had been able to sit through) when they entered the gym and found Thor, dressed in full armor, waiting in the middle of the room.

"Friend Banner! Friend Barnes!" Thor greeted them enthusiastically, using a large hand to clap Bucky on his back.

Bucky grunted and flinched away from Thor's touch. He hadn't had too much interaction with Thor and the god's thundering voice wasn't always pleasant to Bucky's ears.

"What are you doing here, Thor?" Bruce asked, rubbing at his shoulder after he got his own clap on the back.

"I am here to help you with your bear problem," Thor said.

"Beat problem?" Bruce repeated, thinking he had misunderstood. He looked at Bucky, but the other man was wearing a similar confused frown.

Okay, so he had heard 'bear'. Bruce sighed; this was going to be an interesting one.

Thor nodded, "Yes! Jane and I were perusing the Lady Darcy's letter of news and I noticed the mention of Yogi. That is the name of a bear, correct?"

"Yogi?" Bruce repeated slowly, and then, "Oh! Yes, it's the name of a bear, but it's not... Yogi is a cartoon bear."

Now he had two confused men staring at him.

Bruce tried to explain, "Yogi is the name of a cartoon bear. He's animated? Drawn by people? Yogi is also the title for someone who is certified to teach yoga."

Bucky nodded; he understood the distinction. After all, he had seen plenty of cartoons. Especially lately, what with Clint wanting to spearhead his 'return to normalcy'.

Thor, on the other hand.

"So there are no bears?" He clarified, letting Moljnir rest on the floor next to him.

"No," Bruce shook his head, "No bears."

Thor's shoulders slumped, "Oh. I was looking forward to fighting your puny Midgardian animal. It would have been great fun and easy exercise."

He lifted Moljnir, "I suppose I shall get back to Asgard now."

"You could stay and join us for yoga," Bucky suggested quietly, surprising himself at the offer. Bruce nodded.

"We'd love to have you," he agreed.

Thor let the magical hammer fall to the ground again as a large grin blossomed on his face.

"I would enjoy that greatly. Will my armor suffice?" Thor looked so enthusiastic that even Bucky cracked a small smile.

"I don't think metal bends the way we're going to need it to," Bruce chucked, "Do you have sweatpants on your floor?"

"Yes," Thor nodded, "I shall remove this armor and be back."

He nodded to Bruce and Bucky and headed out of the gym.

"This is either going to be really interesting or a complete disaster," Bruce said, stretching his arm across his chest.

"I hope Stark isn't too attached to this equipment," Bucky added, looking around at the immediate area. So many machines to knock into; my to mention the glass windows that could easily shatter if an Asgardian God wobbled and fell into them.

Bruce groaned, "If anything breaks, it'll be my fault. Somehow."

Bucky nodded absently, he was thinking about Thor and how he had confused a cartoon for a real bear. Thor was smart, according to Steve, smarter than people gave him credit for, and yet, he still had trouble with modern day stuff.

Thor appeared a few minutes later, dressed down now in sweats and a t-shirt.

"Oh my god," Bruce muttered, seeing the yellow and gold Iron Man branded sweatpants Thor was wearing.

Thor followed Bruce's gaze and grinned, "Stark gave these to me," and on a lowered whisper, "They are over the top, are they not?"

Bucky snorted, "Stark's only got two settings, from what I've gathered, over the top and obnoxious."

"Tony's not that bad," Bruce felt the need to defend his friend.

Bucky shrugged, "We gonna do some yoga?"

Thor nodded, "I am excited to see what this yoga is all about."

He followed Bruce and Bucky's lead, beginning to stretch on the mat.

* * *

Surprisingly, Thor was extremely flexible and balanced for a man of his size.

Bucky grunted as he fell on his face for the third time, before just lying on his back and looking over at Thor.

The demigod was contorted perfectly in the bow pose; resting on his stomach and arms backwards, holding his ankles.

"How the fuck do you do that?" Bucky grumbled, watching as both Thor and Bruce let go of their legs gently.

"I am a warrior," Thor said with a shrug, "I make a point to be at the height of fitness."

Bruce laughed, "I've practiced for years."

Bucky grumbled, but Bruce took it as a good sign that the metal-armed man just rolled back onto his stomach to attempt the position, instead of stomping off in anger.

"I thought this was supposed to be relaxing," Bucky muttered, wincing as his back cracked.

"It will be," Bruce said, folding his body into a new pose, "With time."

"Good thing I'm not going anywhere," Bucky mumbled, catching his ankle with his hand.

* * *

 **A/N: Whoo! Chapter 2 is up! Hope you guys like this one! Let me know how Thor comes across, I'm always worried when I write him. I hate when he's shown as a character and is made out to be an idiot. I really hope I did him justice.**

 **Next chapter should be up within the week! :D**


	3. Steve

Steve was the next to join in on the early morning yoga sessions. He popped into the gym one morning to work on the machines, wanting to get in a long workout before starting up a day full of meetings with Fury and Maria Hill.

He was five minutes into a leg press workout when Bucky and Bruce came into the gym.

"So, you're telling me that I can write a message and send it to someone across the world," Bucky was saying, "And it will get to them in seconds?"

Bruce grinned, "Exactly. Email. It's a wonderful thing."

Bucky shook his head, "I don't believe you."

"After I help Tony in the lab this afternoon, we'll explain it to you," Bruce promised, dropping his mat to the floor.

Bucky frowned as he unrolled his own mat, trying to wrap his head around the idea of email.

Steve paused his leg exercise and craned his neck around the machine.

When Bruce and Bucky started their easy, warm-up stretches, he locked the bar in place and climbed off the machine.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked, heading over.

Bucky jumped at the sudden noise, but he didn't automatically move into a defensive position.

Progress.

"Yoga," Bruce said, after taking a few deep breaths to calm his startled heart.

"Oh," Steve said, leaning against the nearest piece of equipment, "How long've you been doing this?"

Bucky shrugged, "Coupla weeks?"

Steve grinned broadly, "I'm proud of you, Buck!"

Bucky's face contorted into a mask of confusion, "Why?"

Bruce watched carefully as the enthusiasm in Steve's eyes dimmed and the grin affixed to his face turned forced.

Steve paused before speaking again, "Just meant it's good to see you..."

"Acting normal?" Bucky interrupted wryly.

Steve's shoulders tensed underneath his absurdly tight Under Armor shirt.

"That's not what I was going to say," Steve said slowly, "I was..."

Bucky cut him off, "It's fine."

But both Steve and Bruce could clearly see that Bucky was tense.

Attempting to cut the tension, Bruce piped up, "Steve, do you want to join us? We're just getting started."

Bruce shot a glance at Bucky, to gauge his reaction, but the former assassin had a poker face on. Bruce sighed; one step forward, two steps back.

Steve nodded slowly, "If you don't mind...it might be nice to practice a little bit."

He kicked off his Nikes, shoulders tense, as if he were waiting for Bucky to object.

But Bucky said nothing, simply choosing to continue his stretching on the mat that now had slight imprints of his feet on it.

* * *

"Wait? My hand goes where?" Steve muttered twenty minutes later, a light sheen of sweat on his face.

Bruce and Bucky shared a brief conspiratorial grin.

"Under your hip bones," Bucky said, "and then lift your legs up so your body is at a 45 degree angle to the floor."

Steve grunted; that position was definitely above his skill level.

"It's called the peacock," Bruce supplied helpfully.

"I bet you two can't do this," Steve grumbled, hesitant to support his body on his wrists.

Bucky and Bruce were saved from answering by Thor's booming voice.

"Friends!" he rumbled, "I apologize for my tardiness. The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and I were tasked with putting down a pack of wild _Fafnir_."

Thor looked worse for the west. His hair was tangled and matted, covered in streaks of red.

Steve leaned back to sit cross-legged on the yoga mat, "Fafnir?"

Thor nodded, paying no attention to the stunned looks on the three men's faces.

"Fafnir are a breed descended from one of the great Asgardian beasts. They are like large lizards that have an affinity for anything gold," Thor spoke gravely, "But it is nothing to worry about. They are gone and I am ready to join the yoga."

"Thor," Bruce started to say, but then paused.

Steve sighed at the confused look on Thor's face and tossed the demigod a spare towel.

Thor caught it with unsurprising grace, "What is this for?"

Bucky gestured to his own face, "You've got...green?"

Thor rubbed at his face with the towel. It came back stained green.

He grimaced, "Thank you. It is good that I didn't ingest it. The blood of the fafnir is extremely poisonous."

"Of course it is," Steve muttered. Bruce looked mildly green around the gills as Thor carelessly dropped the towel on a weight rack. Bucky just looked confused; he hadn't had much experience with Thor's Asgardian adventures.

"Is it always like this?" Bucky muttered to Steve, as they watched Bruce rush to sterilize the area that the Fafnir blood had touched.

"Sometimes it's weirder," Steve groaned, flopping back onto the mat with a huff.

"Hey," Bucky pointed out, "You mastered savasana."

Steve said, "Shut up, jerk," but he was smiling.

"Punk," the word slipped from Bucky's mouth without him giving it any conscious thought.

Steve beamed at the old nickname, so Bucky figured something must be working in his head.

Steve, still laying on the floor, said, "You're doing good, Buck."

Instead of brushing Steve off or making a caustic comment, Bucky gave a small, genuine smile, "Thanks, Steve."

* * *

 **A/N: I seriously am so grateful for the love that this story is getting. I've got a few more chapters in me!**

 **Also, whenever i write Thor as fighting an Asgardian animal/beast I literally google Norse monsters. This one is "real" and it, according to Wikipedia, looks like a dragon.**

 **Enjoy!**


	4. Maria Hill

Wednesday was a Bad Day.

Bruce was worn out and nervous after his morning. He had been sent out to midtown with Sam to subdue a threat. The rest of the team was dispatched all over the country. But someone though it was a smart move to send the Hulk into a heavily populated area.

Spoiler alert: it was a mistake.

Bruce had gotten out of control when a building had blown up right next to him. From there it had been a snowballing of horror.

He had taken out two more buildings and knocked Sam from the sky before finally getting control over the other guy.

And that was also after the hit of nerve gas Sam had tried to give him.

So, all in all, Bruce was not in the mood for anything. He wanted something greasy from the sketchy diner Tony liked to take him to, a giant vat of green tea, and a nap.

He still found himself in the gym though. He was alone, which was nice.

But not for long.

Bucky was having his own Bad Day. He had been doing so well in his 21st century assimilation. But now, months after he first came to the Tower, and months since his last real relapse, he'd relapsed again. Badly.

Bucky'd been - not wandering - but walking aimlessly around the Tower, keeping himself occupied with stupid, little things. He had successful heated up a Hot Pocket in the microwave. It was disgusting, but at least he hadn't set anything on fire.

And then...then it had gone to shit.

He'd found his way into the more accessible of Tony and Bruce's labs. The one where several scientists worked daily on the projects that the two men wanted to see through but didn't have time for.

Bucky knew entering the lab was a mistake from the time the first small explosion went off. But he was a dumb piece of shit and he stayed.

The third explosion was bigger and it came with a sharp, acrid scent that caused Bucky's weirdly wired brain to short out and enough force behind the blast to send Bucky skidding back into the wall.

His vision blanked out for a second, sending everything dark. But then...Bucky shook himself off and pushed away from the wall. He stalked forward angrily, murderously, just like the Winter Soldier.

It took Happy and five other security guards to pull him off of the poor scientist he had wrapped his hands around.

As his head had hit the floor (they hadn't meant to hurt him, but Bucky didn't blame them for the use of force), he had jolted out of the haze and was immediately regretful of what he had done.

Happy had tried to see if he needed to go to the medical bay. But Bucky had darted off, scared and angry and upset.

His feet had carried him to the gym.

Heart beating fast, palms sweaty, Bucky leaned heavily against the wall, as if his legs couldn't support his weight anymore.

"Bucky?" Bruce's voice was soft, broken.

Bucky's head snapped up, "Oh. I thought..."

"Bad day?" Bruce asked softly, taking in the haunted look in Bucky's eyes.

"Um..." Bucky looked down at his feet, "You could say that."

Bruce nodded; he knew the feeling.

"I don't..." Bucky started, "I'm not sure why I'm here."

"Doesn't matter," Bruce shrugged, "Your mind knew you needed to go someplace you felt safe."

"The gym?" Bucky asked, twisting his face.

"Probably the yoga," the older man chuckled, "Your body is used to it and the calmness it brings."

Bucky nodded slowly; Bruce definitely made sense.

"Can we...?" He trailed off hesitantly, afraid of the possibility for rejection.

"I think we could both use some calm," Bruce chuckled, running a hand over his face.

* * *

Maria Hill was definitely not expecting this.

She cocked an eyebrow at the sight of Bruce Banner and Bucky Barnes on the floor of the gym in child's pose.

"I'd heard there was a yoga club happening here," she said, "But I didn't think it was amateur hour."

Bruce and Bucky both startled at her voice, even though there was only light humor in her tone.

"Lieutenant," Bruce said, after several deep breaths. Maria caught a hint of green around his gills (literally) and felt slightly bad for startling him.

"We're off the clock, Doctor," she said, a tilt of her lips betraying her amusement, "Call me Maria or Hill, if you want."

Bruce nodded.

"Barnes," Maria tilted her head at Bucky in greeting.

Bucky leaned back on his haunches and nodded back at her, "Hill."

Bucky definitely liked Maria Hill. Her manner wasn't unlike the kind he would have found in the army. She didn't know him - before - so he was able to rebuild himself into the person he wanted to be, without preconceived ideas of how he used to be.

She also let him decide what he wanted her to call him.

Not like Steve. Or Natasha.

("Bucky" was a name he didn't think he deserved any more. "James", when it fell from Natasha's lips, held too much backstory. "Barnes" let him just...be.)

"Any chance I can get in on this?" she asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.

Bruce looked to Bucky for permission. It had been a tough day and normally, he would've just said yes to Maria, but Bucky was involved too.

Bucky nodded, "More the merrier, right?"

Maria nodded and kicked off her heels.

"Let a real master show you guys how to really do yoga," she teased, immediately stretching into warrior pose.

Her move was seamless and Bucky couldn't help but gape a little bit at how she didn't wobble, not even a little bit.

Bucky's own attempt led him to wobble precariously.

Without even looking over at him, Maria said, "Shift your left foot half an inch to the right."

Bucky narrowed his eyes and looked to Bruce. The scientist shrugged; he had mastered balance a long time ago.

"Just do it, Barnes," Maria said, "It'll be easier and you won't fall."

Bucky sighed and shifted his foot. And then let out a huff of air when he stopped shaking.

"Told you," Maria smirked.

"That was...surprisingly useful," Bucky muttered, eliciting a snort from Bruce.

"Stick with me, boys," Maria winked, "I'll teach you how to do yoga *properly*."

She straightened and quirked her lips into a smile, "Now stand back and let me show you how the scorpion is really done."

* * *

Maria didn't really come join them at yoga often. She would pop in and out every few days, sometimes Steve would join them on days Maria was showing them the best way to do a tree pose.

Bucky always watched Steve carefully on the days he and Maria joined.

His best friend was never very good around women and it was interesting to see how he was around Maria.

"Jesus, Rogers," Maria rolled her eyes, "Didn't that serum give you balance?"

Steve smirked, "My balance is just fine, Hill."

His hand moved out and nudged her shoulder, sending Maria wobbling on one foot.

"Now who has the bad balance?" he teased, a sparkle in his eye.

Bucky looked over at Bruce, "I feel like we're interrupting something."

"We probably are," Bruce snorted, "Should we leave them to it and go get some tea?"

Bucky slipped his sneakers on just as the affectionate bickering really started.

He wouldn't say it out loud, but seeing Steve happy was definitely one of the best parts of being back.

* * *

 **A/N: Next installment of Yoga Fic is up. I was originally going to combine Sam and Maria into one chapter, but this got a little long and it's been a while since I posted. So I figured I would separate them. Sam's chapter is started, and I have plans for two or three more after that.**

 **As always, much love to Kavi for sparking the idea for this fic and constantly flailing over head canons with me. :)**


End file.
